I am an AC alumni of 1986-88 and I have been an entrepreneur in the media/film business since 25 years; additionally, I have recently become the President of the non-profit organization Karuna-Shechen USA.
I wanted to explain to you what we do at Karuna-Shechen to see if you might be interested in learning and possibly contributing or helping in any way.
Karuna-Shechen develops and manages humanitarian and development programs that help under-served and disadvantaged communities in northern India, Nepal, and eastern Tibet reach their full potential and create a better future. It was created in 2000 by Matthieu Ricard and Rabjam Rinpoche. They were a natural progression of the founders’ dedication to these communities and an expression of compassion in action.
Our activities concentrate on five sectors of intervention for vulnerable populations in this area: health, education, rural community development, empowerment for women, emergency response.
With our 135 employees in direct contact with the populations involved in the projects, Karuna-Shechen’s activities have a significant impact on individuals, their families, and their communities. We also work with more than 40 volunteers in various fields.
Each year, over 450,000 people in the Himalayan regions benefit from our work.
As more communities reached out to us for assistance, we created a branch of Karuna-Shechen in France in 2004 to help fund these projects. Friends and benefactors in the USA, Hong Kong, Switzerland, and later in Belgium, England and Monaco opened regional branches and affiliates. Today, all of these branches work together to support our teams and local partners in India, Nepal, and Tibet.
Over the years, our vision has remained unchanged. It is based on community engagement and empowerment, grassroots cooperation and respect for unique cultural identities. We strive to create projects that are sustainable models so that they can be duplicated and continued in the future.
If you are interested to learn more and see how you could contribute or help in any way, please contact Alexandre Lippens at [email protected] and/or you can consult our website at www.karuna-shechen.org